The vast adoption of remote working has highlighted the need for flexibility in the workplace in a post-pandemic world. Up until now, many flexible offices were located only in dense, highly populated cities, but now there is an uptick in demand for suburban workspaces.
According to Andrew Butterworth, commercial director at workspace developer Bruntwood Works, customer inquiries for the company’s properties in regional towns have increased.
Companies are now looking to adopt a hybrid approach that includes having a headquarters in major cities and smaller satellite offices closer to workers’ homes.
Jonny Rosenblatt, cofounder of flexible workspace platform Spacemade, added that the company’s new location in the Queen’s Park suburb of North London has been seeing rapid leasing activity since its opening at the beginning of July.
“I think the opportunity that exists now is for flexible providers to develop a product,” said Rosenblatt. “You need to be able to offer people a network of spaces because actually they’re not always going to come to that one individual office.”
Both Rosenblatt and Butterworth said that technology integration can aid in allowing clients to navigate where spaces are available at their various locations outside of major cities.